Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council advances changes to land-use enforcement allowing posted stop-work orders; DPP seeks technical edits
Summary
Bill 33 (2025) would permit the Department of Planning and Permitting to post stop-work orders on properties as an alternate form of notice; the committee amended the bill to CD1 and reported it out for second reading with public hearing scheduling while DPP recommended several edits.
The Zoning Committee amended Bill 33 (2025) to CD1 and reported it out for passage on second reading and scheduling of a public hearing. The bill would modify administrative enforcement provisions in the land-use ordinance to permit the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) to post stop-work orders on a property as an alternative to certified mail service.
Council Chair Waters, the bill’s introducer, said the change arose from difficulties enforcing stop-work orders on so-called “monster homes,” where work continued unless the stop-work order was properly served by certified mail. Chair Waters said allowing posting on the property would provide another tool to ensure proper notice.
“The builders continue to build despite the order... if they don't actually receive the stop work order via certified mail, then it's not deemed proper notice,” Chair Waters said. “So what I'm suggesting is that DPP be given another tool to simply post the stop work order on the property, and that provides sufficient notice.”
Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna said DPP supports the bill as a potentially useful enforcement tool but raised several technical issues. She proposed simultaneous certified mail and posting (to address legal service questions), and requested deletion of a subsection requiring a statement of the actions necessary to correct the violation (citing administrative burden) and asked for limits on costly publication requirements in newspapers. DPP said a prior version (Bill 34) reflected some commission recommendations, and warned that substantial amendments might trigger supermajority requirements if the bill differs from the Planning Commission–recommended text.
Public testimony included one speaker, Angela Melody Young, who described public perceptions of “monster homes” and urged careful review of ordinance language; she said she was neutral on the bill and would read the text before taking a position.
The committee amended Bill 33 to CD1 and reported it out for second reading and scheduling of a public hearing. DPP and council members indicated they will work together on technical edits before future consideration.
